Author Archives: AliciaJCook

A brief update ahead of a more reflective blog… Im back behind the wheel after my six month PULSE assignment. Returning to life in Melbourne is an odd feeling. It feels like I have had a life time of change while on secondment, but its also a little like I’ve only been gone a week. Before […]

It was early morning when I arrived at the car park. The gentle throb of one too many wines over dinner the night before set a slow pace as I walked through the security gate. A week earlier, my friend Shiku asked if I would like to go up-country and help build a new house […]

Part 2 (Read part 1 – Air Evacuation in Mandera) Since accompanying the flying doctors on an evacuation last month, I have been captivated and intrigued by Mandera – a tiny, arid town that from the sky, barely seems to house any form of existence. This is probably the harshest place I have been. Tucked in the […]

Part 1 Last week after spending the day at GSK’s Nairobi offices, I received a call on my mobile just as I was going to bed. For my phone to ring at any time is an unusual occurrence given the only people who have my number are my work colleagues and the drivers I use. […]

Last week, during my coaching session, I took a peek at how I was tracking against my expectations and objectives for PULSE. What I found wasn’t what I expected. Somehow, between packing my expectations and objectives neatly in my bag when I left Melbourne and opening them again a few weeks later in Nairobi, […]

There is a time and a place for process. To my surprise I discovered yesterday that even when something looks chaotic, a process can and may well exist. It doesn’t necessarily have to make sense, but it may exist nonetheless. I had an unexpected twist to my morning routine this Wednesday when I was asked […]

One of the things that most struck me most when I started working at GSK four and half years ago was the insane amount of brainpower that surrounded me. Big brains with bright ideas were everywhere. My contribution as a communications specialist playing with words paled in comparison to what these brains did. Chemists, scientists, […]

A few people have asked when I will be posting my first PULSE blog. ‘It’s coming’ I have said, but truth be told I have been waiting for the right moment. That ‘Carrie Bradshaw’ moment when I am inspired to nestle down with my laptop and turn thoughts into words. I realised last week however […]